🚨#BREAKING: Outrage is erupting after a 22-year-old who runs into BURNING BUILDINGS as a volunteer firefighter was told he isn't qualified to be a paid firefighter...
...because he was HOMESCHOOLED.
Then the city changed the job posting to cover it up.
His name is Andrew Coates. He's 22 years old, in Nebraska.
Right now, today, he runs into burning buildings as a volunteer firefighter for Cedar Bluffs Fire. He is a state-licensed EMT.
He is doing the job. For free.
All he wanted was to get PAID to do it. In his words: "Make a career out of it would be the goal. To get paid to do what you love."
So he applied to the Fremont Fire Department.
And in April, the city rejected him. Why?
Because his high school diploma says he was homeschooled.
That's it. That's the whole disqualification.
Not his EMT license.
Not his fitness.
Not his record.
Not his experience pulling people out of fires ALREADY!!
...how he was educated.
The job posting he applied to said "graduation from high school."
That's all it said.
He graduated high school.
He has a diploma.
And AFTER they rejected him, the city went back and added the word "accredited" to the job description.
His own fire chief, the man who has watched Andrew work, showed up to defend him:
"I feel the city of Fremont is really missing out here, and in my mind, because of his homeschooling, you guys are discriminating against him."
Over THIRTY homeschool families showed up to stand behind this kid.
And the Civil Service Commission? They said it isn't their job to touch city policy.
Homeschoolers are literally a generation of kids who read ABOVE grade level, who work with their HANDS, who volunteer in their communities, who show up for their neighbors.
And this young man is the proof.
At 22, he's a certified EMT and a volunteer firefighter, while plenty of his peers are on a couch.
When your house is on fire at 3 a.m., I promise you will not ask the man dragging your children out where he went to high school.
You will not ask if his diploma was accredited.
You will thank GOD he came.
Andrew isn't even fighting for himself anymore. His words:
"I think now it's turned into we want to make sure that every homeschooler has an equal opportunity."
That's a better man than the policy that rejected him.
Fremont, you have a licensed EMT and an active firefighter begging to serve your city. And you turned him down over paperwork, then rewrote the paperwork to cover it.
Fix this.
Hire him!!!!!!!
One day your kids won’t be little anymore. You only get one chance to be there for the years when they are young. That time is precious, and no amount of success can buy that time back. Scottie choosing to prioritize that time with his family shouldn’t be criticized, and it’s pretty ridiculous to suggest a father choosing to spend more time with his kids is somehow letting the game down.
I agree. Also, if a game-changing fumble, pass interference call, incomplete pass, etc. is determined to have been called incorrectly during a game, the result of the game should be changed.
Let’s just film everything and determine the score later after meticulous replay.
🚨 OMG. SEC. SCOTT BESSENT JUST WENT THERE 🔥
SEN WYDEN (D): We don't want ramblings about the most corrupt regime in history, we want facts
BESSENT: "And we'd like to hear what Adam Wyden and Jeffrey EPSTEIN talked about. Your son's largest investment position was Rick's Cabaret. So, did your son and Jeffrey Epstein talk about pole dancing as he begged him for money using your limited credibility?"
ASSASSIN.
🚨 THEY SAID THE FBI DIRECTOR WAS “MISSING IN ACTION.”
Then Kash Patel dropped THIS on the Senate.
Watch the media bury it.
Predecessors took 33 days off a year.
Kash: 4 days this year.
They used Reagan National like a personal lily pad — $3.5 MILLION of YOUR money.
He killed that. Andrews and government fields only. Taxpayers off the hook.
Least personal travel of ANY FBI Director in history.
Highest work days. Highest results.
📉 Murder rate down 20 points
💊 Enough fentanyl seized to kill a quarter million Americans — 20% fewer kids dying of overdoses
🎯 ALL 10 of the FBI’s Most Wanted captured
💰 Six of the world’s top fraudsters — $2 BILLION stolen from Americans
👶 11,000 child victims found and located
🚔 54,000 violent felons arrested by the FBI alone — 90% increase in 18 months
That is making America safer than it’s ever been.
Media won’t run this. You will.
🎥 Watch him say it. Then RT it.
#MAGA #FBI #KashPatel #AmericaFirst #DrainTheSwamp
A man dressed like Captain America who calls himself “Chrisp LikeTheChicken” believes me to be a hypocrite. He writes…
"Mike - People don’t accuse you of hypocrisy because you don’t offer scholarships to four-year schools. You’re a hypocrite because you preach to be for the working-class while being funded by anti-union Koch bros. and regurgitate Republicans talking points while they’ve systematically dismantled the working class for the past 40+ years."
Hello there, Chrisp. Nice outfit! As a rule, I don’t debate with grown men who dress like super-heroes and hide behind a pseudonym, but since you’ve been so candid with your criticism, and since I’m trapped on another plane for the next few hours, I’ll bite.
First of all, let me assure you that many people do in fact, accuse me of hypocrisy because I have a four-year degree, but don't offer scholarships to four-year universities. I hear from these people every day, and they are very clear about the extent of their disappointment. Interestingly, many of those same people, also call me a hypocrite because I had a long and varied career in the entertainment industry before I launched mikeroweWORKS. They use the fact that I used to work as an actor, narrator, singer, and writer, to undermine any opinion I might have about education and workforce that they don't share. (He's just an actor! He sang in the Opera! What does he know?) These ad hominem attacks are very popular among those with no actual arguments to make, and easy to identify once you start looking for them. Consider those who tried to dismiss Ronald Reagan's ideas because he used to be an actor, or more recently, Markwayne Mullen's nomination to Secretary of Homeland Security, because he used to be a plumber. (I'm talking to you, Jimmy Kimmel.)
To your second point, I've never preached or claimed to speak for the "working class," especially as you define them. Like many others who favor the term, you imply that the "working class" is limited to those workers who are represented by unions. I don't share that view. Although I've been critical of some union policies in the past, and argued that not all unions are created equal, I have no issue with organized labor. In fact, I've worked closely with dozens of them, and featured them prominently on Dirty Jobs, Somebody's Gotta Do It, Returning the Favor, and other shows over the years. Most tellingly, many of the 3,500 people my foundation has assisted are members of a trade union today, and I’m very happy for them. But, like the workforce overall, most of my scholarship recipients do not join unions, for all kinds of reasons.
Fact is, Chrisp, the sum total of all workers in America who belong to a union – public and private sector combined - is barely 10%. Begging the obvious question...why would a guy who dresses up like Captain America want me to ignore 90% of the American workforce? And why for that matter, would a super-hero like you want me to reject financial assistance from companies, foundations, or individuals who employ so many hard working, highly skilled, well-compensated Americans? Does Captain America really want everyone to be in a union? If so, he should maybe consider changing his name.
As for Republican talking points, again, I would invite you to prove the accusation. Just because I happen to say something that might coincide with a conservative position, doesn’t mean I’m “regurgitating” anyone else’s talking points. I’ve been a registered Independent my whole life, and I’ve tried to limit my public comments to issues pertaining to workforce and education. But if you really find my opinions inconsistent with your own, and feel compelled to tell six million people why you think I’m a hypocrite with no actual proof, you might want to at least consider the possibility that your disappointment has less to do with me, and more to do with the narrowness of your own worldview. Is that possible, Chrisp? Is it possible that you think I’m a hypocrite simply because I don’t share your priorities?
I'll tell you what I think. (I know you didn't ask for my opinion, but I didn't ask for yours either, right?) I think your worldview is largely shaped by the eternal struggle between labor and management. I think you see one as the oppressor, and the other as the oppressed, and I think that perspective has made your world a very small place. Thus, my view of organized labor is just too nuanced for a super hero like you. Anything short of total fealty is a threat to your belief system. Because I don’t focus entirely on the 10% of the workforce that matters most to you, you see me as a threat. Because I might not vote the way you vote, you see me as a threat. Because I accept support from people you don't like, you see me as a threat. And because I have a large public platform, you see me as an even bigger threat.
The unfortunate part, is that you don't seem to care at all about the 3,500 hundred people my foundation has assisted, most of whom are making a pretty great living outside a union. And because you’re not alone in your apathy, fear, and paranoia, you’ve whipped up the courage to hide behind a pseudonym, dress up like an imaginary Avenger, and criticize anyone who falls short of your own beliefs and expectations. With respect, "Mr. LikeTheChicken," I think your name says it all...
Mike
This is the WORST INTERVIEW EVER! I don’t know where Barbara Walters was working in 1977 - NBC or ABC - but no network should have broadcast this trash interview https://t.co/msBy0Q3vLd
Rest in peace, Dolly Parton (1946–2026) 💔
I don’t even know how to put this into words. We lost one of the true greats today, not just in country music, but in music, period. Dolly Parton was a songwriter, a singer, an actress, a businesswoman, a philanthropist, and one of the kindest hearts this industry has ever seen.
“Jolene.” “9 to 5.” “Coat of Many Colors.” “I Will Always Love You.” These aren’t just songs, they’re pieces of all our lives because we grew up listening to them. Dolly wrote music that crossed generations, crossed genres, crossed borders. And beyond the stage, through the Imagination Library, she put books into the hands of millions of kids and changed lives in ways most artists never even attempt.
There will never be another Dolly. The rhinestones may have stopped shining today, but her music, her humor, her heart, those infectious attributes of hers aren’t going anywhere. She will shine forever.
I think this incredible tribute by @Pink captures the greatness of Dolly’s life!
Rest easy, Dolly. Thank you for the songs, the laughs, the memories, and everything you gave the world. ❤️🕊️
#DollyParton #RIPDollyParton